


it's getting dark and it's all too quiet

by CanaryWarrior, freckledpianoman



Category: Stargirl (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, blind beth!!, i'm surprised it's not more angsty considering me and nikki wrote it together, um yeah this is a lil bit angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:55:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanaryWarrior/pseuds/CanaryWarrior, https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledpianoman/pseuds/freckledpianoman
Summary: after a botched battle, the jsa is left in various states of disrepair
Relationships: Beth Chapel/Rick Tyler
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	it's getting dark and it's all too quiet

**Author's Note:**

> howdy hournite bitches we brought you some angst courtesy of 1am angst hours!!

The battle against the ISA did not go well at all. Actually, that was an understatement. To put it bluntly, Beth was blinded by Jordan Mahkent and his ice powers, Yolanda was stabbed by Tigress in the leg, and Courtney had massive frostbite from her battle with Jordan.

But at least they were all awake.

Rick had his inevitable fight with Solomon Grundy, who stole his parents' lives from him. It was a battle filled with anger and power, but Rick lost. He ended up in a coma, unknown if he will wake up. 

Beth was still adjusting to having only four senses. To say she was devastated when she discovered her blindness would be an understatement. Beth thought that was it, she was useless. But then Pat reminded her that the original Dr. Midnite was blind as well, and he used the goggles to see. 

“McNider could see in the dark with those goggles, Beth. And he wasn’t useless, he was one of the most important members of the JSA, and so are you. Did you know that there are other people who lost their sight who used their other senses to fight? The way the human brain works is that your other senses get stronger to make up for the lack of one. Your life as a superhero isn’t over unless you decide it is,” Pat told her when he visited her in the hospital. He brought her flowers and let her touch them to see if she could identify them.

“Hmmm, are they roses and...carnations?”

Beth could practically hear the smile Pat had on his face, which was likely the first time he smiled since everyone got hurt. “Yes, Beth, they are. Yellow and pink, Court mentioned those are your favorite colors.”

“How are the others doing?”

Pat’s voice turned grim. “Court is gonna be on bedrest for a while, and Yolanda is going to need help walking for a while too. And Rick…” He trailed off, but Beth understood what he meant. “No changes?”

Pat nodded and then realized that Beth couldn’t see him. “Unfortunately not, but don’t lose hope.”

“I’ll never give up hope on Rick.”

Pat sighed. “I’m going to check on Yolanda. She’s getting restless, not that I can blame her. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay. Will you tell me if anything changes?” 

Pat gave her hand a squeeze. “Oh course I will, kiddo. Try to get some rest.”

Rest sounded nice, but way out of the question. She hadn’t been able to shut her brain up since she’d lost her vision, like she was making up for her lack of vision by overworking her brain constantly. She didn’t know it was possible to be this exhausted and still so awake.

She wondered if this was how Pat always felt- like he was jumping between each problem, one after the other, with no break. At least she could understand him better now, if nothing else. She was worried about the others, too, but at least Pat could do something.

She had nothing-  _ no.  _ She’d been aggressively trying to avoid those thoughts, she still technically had hope. It would just take a lot of work, a lot of changes.

She thought briefly about the last time she’d actually seen everyone. She didn’t actually really remember- guilt bubbled in her chest. What if she forgot what they looked like? She’d never see those people again.

But she couldn’t really complain- at least she had it better than Rick. He might not wake up.  _ Christ _ \- she was spiralling, she knew it, and nobody was there to stop her train of thought. Rick could die, and the last time she’d seen him she’d taken it for granted.

She could go to his room, at least. Be there for him like she always wanted to be. She’d just need Chuck and she’d have to hope the nurses wouldn’t send her back to her bed before she could even get to him. Plus, how would she look? She would have to feel the wall and take careful steps in the process, which will tip off anyone who is in that hallway.

Beth sighed. As much as she wanted to see Rick, she didn’t want anyone else to worry about her when there was already so much going on. For now, she should stay here. The doctors already determined that the damage was too extensive for them to do anything about her eyes, but she still had to stay overnight as per protocol. Maybe when she gets released, she can visit Rick. She only has to wait a couple of more hours.

So, she decided to take Pat’s advice and closed her eyes.

~~

Beth’s mom escorted her to Yolanda’s room, which was a few rooms down from hers. Her mother still had a job to do, so she gave her daughter a regretful goodbye before she left to tend to other patients.

“Yolanda?” Beth knocked on her friend’s open door before entering, getting her attention.

“Beth!” Yolanda’s voice seemed exhausted, but there was a brightness to it that Beth attributed to her entrance. “I heard you were getting discharged. How are you feeling?”

Beth recalled the layout of the hospital rooms from the multiple times she would come and visit her mom. She easily made her way to the guest chair next to Yolanda’s bed without bumping into anything. 

Beth shrugged after she sat down. “Terrible, worried. Mostly worried. How are you feeling? What did the doctors say about your leg?”

Yolanda sighed sadly. “It was deep but thankfully it didn’t hit any arteries. It’s gonna take weeks to heal and I’m going to have to be on bedrest and use a wheelchair for the next few days. But I’ll be fine.” Yolanda felt immensely guilty. She was going to be fine while one of her best friends would be blind for the rest of her life and the other is in a coma. 

Beth gave her friend a small smile. “I’m glad you’re going to be okay. I was so scared when I heard the news…”

“How’s Rick?” Yolanda asked in concern.

“Last night, Pat told me that there were no changes,” Beth said sadly. “Hey, are you allowed to leave this bed?”

“If I’m in a wheelchair, yeah, why?”

“Do you want to go visit Rick? He’s a few rooms down. I’m just… not sure I want to go on my own.”

Yolanda nodded. “Of course. My wheelchair is on your left. Can you push it closer?”

Beth got up and pushed Yolanda’s wheelchair closer. She could hear Yolanda getting up and throwing her legs over the bed. As if on instinct, Beth gently grabbed Yolanda’s arm and eased her into the chair.

Yolanda’s eyes widened in shock. “How did you know where my arm was?”

“I don’t know… I heard you moving and just knew,” Beth gave a poor explanation. 

“Oh, okay. What’s Rick’s room number?” Yolanda asked, so she could identify the correct room.

“Room 113.” Beth easily navigated Yolanda out of the room, then paused in the doorway for instruction.

“Left down this hallway.” Yolanda sounded guilty as she said it, though Beth just moved along and listened to the sound of shuffling feet as she walked down the hallway. “Almost there… Now. To your right.” Yolanda announced, sounding sufficiently impressed with Beth’s navigation.

That was good, at least. She could navigate places she knew like the back of her hand. So, basically, the hospital rooms, her house, and the garage. She reminded herself that there were plenty of ways she could try and adapt.

Before she could go too deep into that train of thought, she pushed Yolanda up to the side of the bed, walking around to the other side of the bed and sitting down carefully on the bench that faced Rick.

Yolanda sighed from her wheelchair and Beth heard her shifting.

“How bad does he look?” She asked bluntly.

“Well, it could be worse.” Yolanda reasoned, though she didn’t sound convinced.

“Would you, like, describe it? I’m trying to paint a picture here.” She laughed weakly. Yolanda paused then sighed.

“He’s got bruises pretty much all up and down his arms… Some cuts on his jaw, but nothing that’ll scar. Big goose egg on the top of his head.” She laughed, making Beth smile.

“Yolanda, be honest. Think he’ll wake up?” Beth barely whispered it, expecting Yolanda to take some offense to it, though she just tapped her fingers on the arm of her wheelchair.

“He has to. Grundy’s still alive, and Rick wouldn’t go out without taking him with him. So, yeah. He’ll wake up.” Beth could hear the smile on her face. She felt her lips turn up in a weak smile.

“Next time we’ll all take Grundy down.” Beth decided, listening to Yolanda laugh softly, then pause.

“We’ll get Icicle, too. He won’t get away with this.”

“Thanks. I mean, my situation could be worse, but thanks.”

“Beth, I know you’ve totally got this whole situation under control, and I admire that, but… your pain is valid, you know that, right? You can tell us if you’re hurting.”

“Nothing hurts. I’ll let you know if that changes.” Beth said shortly, effectively shutting down the topic. “Have you heard anything about Court?”

Yolanda didn’t speak for a second, like she was wondering if it was worth it to try and stay on topic.

“She’ll be okay. Just needs some recovery time, like the rest of us.” There was a worried edge to her voice, and that  _ actually _ hurt. Beth knew how important Courtney was to all of them, but especially Yolanda. She’d given her the chance at a new life.

“You can go see her, if you want. Not like I’m going anywhere.”

Yolanda scoffed in surprise then laughed. “You pick up that dark humor from Rick?”

Beth smiled. “That, or you just unlocked my dark side.”

“You don’t have a dark side, I’d know it if you did. I’ll make sure to thank Rick for giving you bad coping mechanisms when he wakes up.” She heard Yolanda sigh. “I think I’ll go see Court, then. Be back in a few.”

Beth nodded and heard the creaking of Yolanda’s wheelchair as she rolled out of the room. Now it was just her and her thoughts. And Rick. She made her way to the visitor’s chair by Rick’s bedside.

After a few moments to gather her thoughts, Beth started speaking. “Hey, Rick. It’s Beth. I don’t know if you can hear me, but the doctors said that it’s likely you can. So I’m going to visit you as often as I can to keep you company. Our friends will be okay. Courtney has some bad frostbite from Icicle and it’s going to take some time for her to get better. Yolanda had to be on bedrest and use a wheelchair for a couple of days. She was just here, she left to go visit Court. I was discharged this morning.” 

Beth took a deep breath before continuing. “The doctors said that there’s nothing they can do for my eyesight. But they said that my other senses will become stronger since I lost one sense. They explained how the brain works when someone loses a sense, which was actually pretty interesting, but I’m sure you don’t want to be bored with the details,” Beth let out a chuckle. “I can see in the dark with the goggles, though, so in a way, I’ll be able to see you all, just only at night.”

Beth knew that Rick would want to know what happened to them. As sad as it was, Rick’s only friends were the three girls in the JSA. Yolanda told her how angry Rick was when they heard about what Icicle did to her. She knew Rick cared about them, even though he would probably never admit it.

“When I heard you were in a coma, I was _terrified_. I’ve never been more scared in my life. The doctors said that they don’t know if you’ll wake up, but you will. I know you will. You’re too stubborn to let Solomon Grundy, Icicle, and the rest of the ISA run free. I don’t care what the doctors say.”

Beth reached out to Rick’s comatose body and gently found his arm. She moved her hand down his arm until she reached his hand, which she grabbed and squeezed. “I will always have hope for you, Rick. You’re my best friend, and I will never give up on you.”

Beth sighed. “I wish that I hugged you before I left, before all of this happened. I know you probably don’t like hugs, but I wish I had done something nice...At least I would’ve had a clear, picture perfect memory of it.”

She absentmindedly rubbed her thumb back and forth softly on Rick’s knuckles. “But we can’t dwell on ‘what ifs.’ We would drive ourselves crazy if we did that. Just know that you aren’t alone, Rick, I promise.”

~~

_ A week after the JSA gets hurt _

Beth was once again at Rick’s bedside, continuing her daily visits. 

“Courtney and Yolanda are getting better. They’ve been helping me adjust to being blind. They’ve been trying to teach me how to fight as best as they can while recovering. Now, they’ve mostly been throwing things at me so I can practice dodging and catching. I’m getting pretty decent at it,” Beth said with a small, proud smile. “My hearing’s been improving too. I’m learning braille, and I’m catching on to it easily. And of course I always wear the goggles at night so I can see everyone and everything…”

Beth sighed. “The doctors said that there are still no changes with you, which is a good thing and a bad thing since you’re not getting worse nor better. Please wake up, Rick. The garage feels so empty without you.”

She reached out and held his hand. “Can you try to squeeze my hand? Just a little?” After two minutes of not feeling any movement from her friend, Beth’s voice turned teary as she added, “Please Rick?”

Still nothing.

“I’m never giving up on you, Rick,” Beth vowed. “I’ll wait as long as I have to for you.”

She sat in silence for a while, listening to the steady beep of his heart monitor. No changes, as usual. 

“My mom said maybe I should stop visiting you every day. Maybe you can’t even hear me, but if you can, I don’t want you to be lonely. I’ll keep coming by, don’t worry- even if you don’t hear this, it’ll be out there in the universe. And… it’s kinda therapeutic for me, too.” She admitted, rambling it all out in one breath.

“We miss you-  _ I _ miss you. So, y’know. Wake up soon.” She’d finished up just in time, as she heard Yolanda knock on the door.

“Ready to go?” She asked from the doorway.

“Yep.” Beth sighed, standing and finding Yolanda exactly where she expected her.

“So- Pat was talking about trying to screw around with the goggles so they don’t just work at night. Like, you’d be able to see all the time, at least shapes and stuff.” Yolanda announced, guiding them toward the elevator.

“Oh. That’s cool, but he doesn’t have to worry too much about it. I’m doing alright as is.” Beth smiled carefully, listening to Yolanda groan.

She wrinkled her nose as Yolanda took a breath to start her lecture. “Yolanda, I’m fine. We have bigger fish to fry.”

“If we can help you see, then we  _ should _ Beth. Courtney and I are gonna be fine, and we want you to be better.” She heard Yolanda press the button and the doors slide closed.

“Rick is in a coma- he’s more important.”

“Pat can’t do anything to wake Rick up, but he can help you. Why are you being so goddamn stubborn?” Yolanda demanded.

Beth clenched her jaw. They’d had this conversation three times since she’d lost her sight, and she still couldn’t figure out a way to answer Yolanda. Maybe she never would be able to explain it, but her sight had managed to move its way even further down her list of priorities in the last week.

Maybe it was because she knew she could function like this- she was still walking, moving didn’t cause her ridiculous pain. She wasn’t in a coma.

"It's fine, Yolanda. That's… that's great." She breathed, voice shaky.

She didn't even want her sight back that badly in comparison to how much she wanted Rick to be okay. But Yolanda was right, too- there was nothing they could do to make him wake up. 

If Beth was being honest, she would gladly stay blind if it meant Rick waking up.

~~

_ Two weeks since the JSA got hurt _

“The doctors said you can breathe on your own now, which is good!” Beth exclaimed from her seat next to Rick’s bed. “That’s a good sign, Rick. Wow, I can’t believe it’s been two weeks, it felt longer than that…” Beth trailed off. 

She shook her head to herself, Rick wouldn’t want to hear her sad thoughts. “Courtney’s frostbite is almost finished healing, and Yolanda’s recovery is going well. I’m adjusting pretty well for the most part too, I’m still learning how to fight blind. Yesterday, I had Court and Yolanda throw a bunch of stuff at me, and none of them hit me. I either dodged or caught the things they threw, which was great progress. Even Mr. Dugan was impressed. He’s trying to figure out a way to modify the goggles so I can see during the day, too. I won’t be able to see everything clearly, but if it works, I could see shapes and outlines.”

Beth sighed. “I miss being able to cook and bake. It used to be my favorite hobby, but now I can’t do it anymore. I can make coffee, pour some cereal, and use the toaster, but that’s it. I might not be able to actually cook again,” she finished in a sad tone, laying her hand on Rick’s palm as if seeking comfort.

After a few moments of sitting in silence, Beth felt something slowly wrap around her hand. It was Rick, he was moving his hand! He slowly closed his fingers on Beth’s smaller hand, giving her a very, very light squeeze.

Beth didn’t dare to move her hand as she said, “Rick?” He was holding her hand! He moved his fingers and squeezed her hand! “Rick, can you hear me? You’re squeezing my hand… this is amazing!” Beth felt a smile growing on her face. Rick was making progress!

“You’re going to beat this, Rick. You’re going to wake up, I just know it!” She lightly squeezed his hand back.

“Hey, Beth?” Yolanda knocked on the door. “Everything okay in here?”

“Yolanda, look! He’s squeezing my hand!” Yolanda walked over on her crutches, as her healing wound still pained her. Her eyes widened as she saw Rick holding Beth’s hand and a smile grew on her face.

“Oh my god, Rick! This is great. You’re gonna wake up soon, I can feel it!” Yolanda exclaimed.

Beth took a shaky breath. "Just… take your time, Rick. We're ready when you are."

~~

_ Rick watched as Beth flipped through the stack of files Pat had given them to study while he trained Courtney and Yolanda. He heard Yolanda squeal downstairs and watched Beth's lips turn up slightly. _

_ She looked up and he quickly aimed his eyes back at his dad's journal before she could see him staring.  _

_ "I'm glad you showed up to training tonight. Yesterday sucked while you were gone, the garage feels so empty without you." She announced. He felt his face get hot and he chuckled. _

_ "Well, I'll make sure to clear out my schedule better next time." _

_ "That would require you to stop getting detention." _

_ "Mrs. Moore could've gone easier on me, to be fair." _

_ "Watching her wake you up was kinda funny, though." Beth giggled. _

_ "Well I'm glad it was a good experience for someone." He shot back. _

_ He glanced back up and the world seemed to blur a bit. He blinked and it all straightened back out, though he had a throbbing pain in his head. _

_ He listened closely to the sounds around him. He couldn't hear Pat anymore, or Courtney and Yolanda sparring- just a steady beeping. _

_ He looked to Beth and found that she had moved to the other side of the landing, sat against the wall staring off into nothing. Her knees were drawn up to her chest as her whole body shivered, hugging herself securely and sniffling like she was holding back tears. _

_ "Beth, hey- what's wrong?" He shot up from the couch, kneeling down to her level and grabbing her hand to squeeze it, though she didn't react. _

_ He blinked and suddenly Yolanda was there next to Beth, a hand on her arm. "Listen, I know losing your sight has been hard. You know you can talk to us, right?" _

_ What the fuck was this? A weird nightmare? _

_ "I'm fine. I just need Rick to wake up." Beth said flatly, twiddling her fingers together. _

_ He felt his world spin. Nothing. _

~~

_ Three weeks since the JSA got hurt _

Beth rubbed her thumb over Rick's knuckle gently, trying to prompt him to squeeze her hand again. He'd only done it once, and her mom had suggested that Beth may have imagined it in her desperation for a response. Even through Yolanda's insistence that she'd seen it too, her mom brushed her off completely.

Beth didn't know what to do with the anger that had flared in her when her mom ignored her, so she'd shoved those thoughts back and decided to keep on moving. He would wake up. He had to.

She felt tears pricking in her eyes and shuddered, falling forward with her head on Rick's chest. Yolanda had to run an errand, so she'd be back later than usual today, so Beth took this opportunity to let it all out.

She choked on silent sobs for a second, then finally felt the tears start, fucking her head further into his chest. "Rick," she sounded pitiful, "Please, please, I need you." She sobbed.

He didn't move. Didn't wake up. She just cried into his chest and squeezed his hand and finally accepted  _ loss _ . Even if he woke up, they would never get these three weeks back. Things would never be the same.

He could still die. She would never see him again, literally. She'd been bottling all this up in hopes that once he woke up everything would magically be better- it never would be.

"Please. Come back to me, please." She whimpered, pressing further into him.

~~

_ Rick jolted up with a gasp- though it didn't feel like he was actually taking in any air. He looked around to find himself back in the garage, laid out on the couch him and Beth had shared not long ago. _

_ His eyes swept the area around him, finding nobody looking back at him and nothing to explain what was going on. He was just here for whatever reason. _

_ He stopped to listen and once again heard nothing, not even the dripping from the leak in the roof. Reluctantly, he made his way through the garage to try and find something to explain what was going on. _

_ Eventually, he trudged into Pat's office. He circled around his desk to look around, coming face to face with a picture frame propped up next to the computer. _

_ He furrowed a brow, picking it up and studying it. The picture was blurry, like Bigfoot-Photo-Evidence blurry. Why would Pat keep a picture like this on display in the first place? _

_ He wandered back into the hallway, looking around at the posters littering the wall- where they'd been crystal clear they were now smudged and unreadable. This had to be a weird dream. _

_ Finally, he heard something. Crying? He walked out into the main garage area and did a full circle. Any way he turned, it felt like the sound was directly behind him, taunting him. _

_ "Rick," he heard a million miles away. _

_ "Beth? Where are you?" He shouted. _

_ "Rick, please. I need you." She sobbed, sounding like she was just floating further away from him. _

_ "I'm here, Beth. Where are you?" Rick looked around wildly, trying to find his friend. What kind of torture was this, being completely helpless while one of the very few people he cared about was crying, presumably in pain? _

_ "Please wake up." _

_ ~~ _

_ Four weeks since the JSA got hurt _

“My mom and Yolanda said that you’ve been moving around more,” Beth began, holding Rick’s hand. “And she said that you opened your eyes and managed to track Yolanda as she walked around the room for about fifteen seconds before closing your eyes. That’s amazing progress, Rick. I knew you were too tough to go down,” Beth finished proudly. 

“So, updates on us: Courtney’s frostbite is healed and Yolanda is off her crutches, but they both have to take it easy. I’m getting better at fighting blind. Yolanda felt well enough to spar with me the other day and they all said I did a good job. I actually went out on patrol last night with Pat, and it felt really good to get back out there. Courtney and Yolanda couldn’t come, though, they still have to rest.”

“I wish you were with us,” Beth revealed. “I kept thinking about you when I was on patrol. Well, I think about you a lot, obviously. I just...can’t believe it’s been a month since everything happened. It’s been the longest and worst month of my life. So please try to wake up, Rick,” Beth pleaded.

“You’re my best friend, and I love you. And I hate myself because I didn’t tell you earlier, because I know it must’ve been years since you heard those three words. So please, wake up and get better soon.”

Beth stood up and squeezed Rick’s hand. “If you can hear me, just know I love you.” After letting her hand linger, Beth pulled away and walked to the door. She stopped for a second, wondering if she should say anything else, but decided not to. She took a couple of steps into the hall, intending to go to her mom’s office. Suddenly, she stopped.

Beth’s enhanced hearing caught something. It was Rick’s heart monitor. The steady beeps she has heard for a month now had a new, faster rhythm. She quickly made her way back into the room and rushed over to Rick’s bed.

“Rick?” She called out, softly.

Rick’s eyes opened. He looked around and observed the white walls, the machines, and the IVs. He tried to sit up when he heard Beth calling out his name. He turned to her and saw that she was wearing sunglasses to hide her eyes.

“Beth?” Rick said, his voice raspy.

“You’re awake!” Beth threw her arms around him, a gesture that Rick returned weakly. Beth pulled away. “I’ll go get a doctor and some water for you.”

Before she could leave, Rick gently grabbed her hand.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Beth asked in concern. She felt Rick softly stroke her cheek, touching the sunglasses. 

“I’m sorry,” Rick said sadly in his raspy voice.

Beth gently removed Rick’s hand from her face. “Let’s not dwell on that right now, okay? I’ll be right back.”

She walked out of the room and heard her mom call her name. 

“Beth, is everything okay?”

“Mom, Rick is awake! Can you go check on him? I’m going to get him some water.”

“Of course!” Dr. Chapel immediately made her way into Rick’s room and sure enough, the boy was awake and alert. “Hi, Rick. Beth just went to get you some water. How are you feeling? I’m just going to take some vitals and do some tests. Alright?”

Rick’s throat felt too dry for him to talk, so he nodded instead, and wondered how long it would be until Beth came back. Luckily, she arrived in two minutes with a plastic cup of water. Rick watched as Beth expertly navigated her way through the room to hand him the cup directly in his hand. As he sipped the water, he realized something- Beth got this cup of water all by herself. She didn’t need anyone’s help. She was strong and smart enough to deal with her blindness...and Rick wasn’t there to be a part of it. Courtney, Yolanda, and Pat were all there for her, but Rick wasn’t. After a couple of minutes, Dr. Chapel spoke.

“Okay, just hang tight, Rick, I need to run these tests and you will have to stay here for observation.” With that, she left and Beth sat down next to Rick’s bed.

“How are you feeling?” Beth asked.

“Fine, I guess. How are you doing?” Rick asked softly.

“I’m good. I texted the others that you’re awake, they’ll be here as soon as they can,” Beth responded brightly. “I came to visit you, everyday.”

“Yeah, I know… I heard you sometimes.”

Beth smiled. “Really? You did?”

Rick felt himself smile at Beth’s reaction. “Yeah, I did. I remember you telling me that you learned how to fight, that you went out on patrol, hanging out with Court and Yolanda… how are they?”

“They’re good! They visited a lot too, so did Pat. Barbara and Mike came a couple of times too. My mom even checked in on you after her shifts.”

Rick felt his heart swell. He didn’t expect so many people to visit him. “Did my uncle…”

Beth shook her head sadly. “No, he didn’t, I’m so sorry.” She grabbed his hand and felt anger coursing through her veins aimed at Matt Harris.

Suddenly, Rick’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, we can’t afford to pay for this-”

“Rick, hey, calm down,” Beth soothed. She made sure she didn’t hear anyone coming and whispered “I hacked into your hospital bill and made it say that it was already paid for. You don’t have to worry about paying for anything.”

Rick gazed at Beth in wonder. “Thank you.”

Beth smiled. “You’re my friend, you don’t have to thank me.”

Rick smiled back and then frowned. Beth visited him everyday and erased his medical bill, all while blind. What did he do for her? Nothing. “Beth, I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not being there for you. You had to deal with losing your sight on your own with Court, Yolanda and Pat. I should’ve been there for you… You’re my best friend, and I couldn’t help you…”

“Rick, you listen to me right now,” Beth said firmly. “You were in a coma. There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

Rick sighed and knew it was useless to argue against Beth. “Okay, Beth.”

Beth gently grappled for his hand, linking their fingers. Oddly enough, it felt more like she was comforting him instead of it being the other way around.

"I really missed you." She murmured softly, smiling. He studied her face- she looked no different other than the sunglasses. Same old Beth.

"How long was I out?" He asked. She wrinkled her nose for a second, then sighed.

"Just around a month."

"Jesus. A whole twelfth of a year." 

"If that's how you choose to think about it, then, yeah." She laughed softly.

He squeezed her hand tighter, resisting the urge to just pull her into a hug. He hadn't gone that long without talking to Beth since the JSA had formed, and even though the break definitely wasn't voluntary it still  _ happened _ . It felt like a second for him, he didn't want to imagine what it felt like for her.

"I'm really sorry, Beth."

"Not your fault." She shook her head softly.

"You had to go through all that shit and I was just laying here." He mumbled.

She squeezed his hand tightly, not as brief as before. Like a lifeline. "It was worth it. You're here now, that's all that matters."

"Beth-" He started, stopping when she winced. He took a breath, "I'm here for you. 'Kay?"

"Yeah." She nodded, her grip on his hand still tight. He pulled gently on her hand, leading her to stand and shifting to sit up and hug her.

She buried her nose in the crook of his neck, shuddering. He was worried she might start crying, but she just breathed slowly and quietly, letting him rub a comforting hand up and down her back.

"Glad you're back." She murmured.

"Glad to be back."

  
  
  
~~  
  


_ A few months later _

The JSA were in a warehouse, trying to fight an invisible foe who had stolen dangerous materials and weapons. The opponent, who called himself ‘Veil,’ was currently fighting the JSA, and winning, since no one can see him.

“Ow!” Courtney cried out as she felt something kick her leg, knocking her to the ground. 

“Stargirl!” Yolanda called out, running to her fallen friend, before she felt herself being punched in the stomach. “Oww…” she groaned.

Only Beth and Rick remained standing. 

“You still have your strength, right?” Beth whispered.

“Yeah, I do,” Rick whispered back, looking around.

Suddenly, Beth heard something. She heard footsteps, a fast heartbeat, and the movement of limbs on her left. She waited until those sounds got closer before she acted.

Beth twisted her body to side kick her would-be assailant. She felt her leg connect with someone, and heard a grunt and a thud on the floor. Beth then noticed there was a soft humming sound. With her goggles, she saw the outline of a cube-like device, and promptly kicked it off. As soon as she did, Veil’s invisibility vanished and everyone could see the man on the floor. 

“Wow,” Rick breathed, at the sight of his girlfriend kicking an invisible person’s ass using nothing but her four senses and fighting skills. “That was incredible.”

“That was  _ badass _ !” Yolanda exclaimed, getting up from the floor.

Courtney stood up too. “That was amazing!”

Beth smiled brightly. “Thanks,” she said modestly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Yolanda assured her friend, while Courtney agreed. “What are we gonna do with him?”

Courtney shrugged. “Tie him up and tip off the cops?”

“Fine by me,” Rick said, putting an arm around Beth, who smiled at the contact while Courtney stepped away to make the call.

They stood in silence until Beth broke the silence. “Well, that was fun.”

Yolanda and Rick laughed. 

“It was definitely fun to watch,” Rick noted.

“And very satisfying to watch too,” Yolanda agreed, glaring at her attacker.

“Okay,” Courtney said, walking back to her friends. “Cops are on their way. Let’s get out of here.

The teen JSA swiftly left the building, talking amongst themselves. Sure, everything has changed since that fateful battle against the ISA, but things have gotten better. Beth was adjusted to the loss of her vision, but thanks to her goggles, she could still see plenty. She used her four senses to her advantage and is now a capable superhero. She had her friends and boyfriend by her side.

Things were good.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! please leave comments and kudos if you liked it, they make all the work worth it!  
> [my tumblr](https://freckledpianoman.tumblr.com/)!  
> [nikki's tumblr](https://canary-warrior.tumblr.com/)!  
> [black lives matter](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/)


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